


Frozen Hearts and Stolen Peaches

by Peeves_MelodyHallows



Category: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Humor, Awkward Romance, Dorks, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff and Humor, I mean...I don't think this one's a no for you Luna, Inappropriate Humor, Just expect a lot of angst, Male-Female Friendship, Multi, Neela Bakshi (OC), Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Romance between dweebs that don't know how to romance, Slight Canon Divergence, no one gets away with their bullshit, prepare yourself for the cat
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-27
Updated: 2017-10-15
Packaged: 2018-04-17 12:41:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4666908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peeves_MelodyHallows/pseuds/Peeves_MelodyHallows
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When an afternoon stroll results in the humiliation of a lifetime, Judal never expects to find himself befriending the perpetrator—but something about this traveling magician is simply too intriguing…</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. It's My Peach!

            Judal could say without a shadow of a doubt that he had never met someone like her. Saying so made it seem like the clichéd beginning to one of Kougyoku’s cheesy romance novels, but it was the truth. He had been caught off guard, by her appearance, her capabilities—even the peach pit and the witty, handwritten note he’d received with her departure had left him in a state of disbelief. Perhaps his shock was what had irritated him so. Even hours after the incident, he found himself growling internally, tormented by everything he’d failed to do to her, and all the respect it had cost him in the process.

            Judal glared up at the peach pit between his fingers one last time as night fell over the roof of the Kou Palace. He scowled menacingly at the wrinkled seed as his mind wandered back to the note he’d reread enough times to memorize.

            _“An endless supply to quell your cravings, darling, and perhaps in a few years’ time you can pay me back for all the trouble”_

_—N_

            Growing a tree from this pit would have been the simplest matter; but the thought of letting her win that easily made him sick to his stomach. Judal let out another soft growl before tossing the seed into the courtyard below. If it was meant to be, the blasted plant would grow on its own. He wouldn’t let her win so easily. He would find her again, and when he did, she would pay.

—earlier that day—

            “That’s my peach.”

            Judal glanced down at the comically short woman before him, almost laughing at her unassuming appearance, drab clothes, and the messy black bangs hiding most of her face. Poor girl looked to be a hopeless wretch with little more than a cent to her name. it almost made him feel bad for snatching the peach from her, but he’d had his eye on it first, and since it was the last one, he could hardly choose another. Judal bit into the peach defiantly, smirking as the woman crossed her arms in response.

            “Give it back. Now.”

            “Why should I?” the magi inquired mockingly.

            “Because it’s my peach. I paid for it, and I never said you could have it. So give it back.”

            Judal contemplated the demand for a mere moment before putting on an impish grin. “Make me,” he challenged her as he took another bite from the peach. The woman scowled, and Judal smiled triumphantly—she wouldn’t have the guts to go against him, she was obviously much lower on the social hierarchy than him. Even if she didn’t know who he was, she’d have to be stupid to take the risk. He hummed a little at his victory before he felt the peach get snatched from his hand, and he came to the sudden realization that this woman was, indeed, an idiot.

            For a moment he stared at her departing frame, entirely dumbfounded that the pauper had risen to the occasion, but he shook off the feeling and levitated over to block her path. “Give it back,” he demanded.

            “Now why would I even dream of returning something that isn’t yours? We’ve been through this. It’s my peach.”

            “I saw it first!”

            “Oh? Is that so? Well isn’t that lovely. But you see, I paid for it first, so I’m going to eat it,” the woman took a large bite out of the peach while staring straight at him, the blue of her eyes peeking vaguely through her bangs.

            “You’ve got a lotta nerve, pipsqueak…” Judal muttered as he forced a smile.

            “This coming from the noble stealing from me in broad daylight? I’m truly astounded.”

            “Do you even know who you’re talking to, you little bitch?”

            “Does it even matter? You shouldn’t take what isn’t yours. Though since you’re a noble, it’s hardly surprising that you’re too dumb to know that. Ta ta now.”

            Judal froze in blatant disbelief as the woman took another bite out of the peach and walked around him. Did she just have the audacity to call him an idiot? He was going to kill her. He was going to make her wish she’s never spent a single coin on that peach. Judal took his wand out from his shirt, his hands trembling with rage as he turned towards the departing woman. “Ramz!” he shouted forcefully, and a bolt of black lightning shot directly towards her form.

            In the few seconds the bolt took to travel, Judal had been certain of his victory, but his triumphant smile dissipated almost as quickly as it had appeared, for while the bolt traveled, the woman turned heel and raised a closed hand up to the approaching attack. A simple Borg surrounded her as the spell hit, and Judal growled in disappointment as the air between them calmed. Once the lightning faded entirely, the wretch brought her hand to her mouth, and a short, simple melody traveled his way.

            “So you’re a magician, huh? Never would’ve guessed that a brat like you could use magic. But do you really think you’re powerful enough to beat me?”

            “In a fair fight? Probably not. However,” she continued as she pocketed the little whistle that she’d used, “unlike some, I am not so quick to under estimate my opponents. It’s probably easy to assume that your victory is ensured when you’re a magi, isn’t it?”

            Judal snapped to attention at that. “You already kn—“ he cut himself off as he felt himself wobble a bit, his consciousness dissipating enough to make the woman sound a great distance farther away than she was.

            “You know, the best thing about Sound Magic is that after enough practice, some of the simpler spells can be cast without detection. Especially if your opponent is kind enough to not only ignore you but also announce his attack to all Lord and creation.”

            “What…did you…” the magi let out a soft groan and brought one hand to his head as his ears started ringing. He hadn’t been careful enough.

            “In truth, if we were to have a fair fight, you would probably win. After all, you have way more magoi to work with. That said…”

            “You…bitch…” Judal rasped as he lost his balance and fell to his knees, his vision and consciousness fading more and more. He tried to hold himself up with his weakening arms as the echo of the woman’s footsteps reached his ears, and he felt a hand lift his face up by the chin, allowing his hazy red eyes to meet the deep blue irises of the girl that had bested him.

            _“We both know that life is hardly fair, isn’t it?”_

oooOOOooo

            It was the first time that the skies had cleared in two weeks. Judal yawned as he shuffled once more through the market streets of Rakushou while glancing to his right every so often to make sure he hadn’t lost Kougyoku in the crowd. In truth, he really hadn’t wanted to go to the market today, he’d instead been partial to the idea of avoiding social interaction for yet another day, but Kougyoku wouldn’t have it. Hell, at least he’d convinced her to leave that cow Ka Kobun at home.

            “Oh look, Judal!” Kougyoku exclaimed happily for the umpteenth as she latched onto his arm. “They’re selling some really pretty jewelry over there! Wanna get a closer look?”

            Judal whined pathetically, causing the princess to let out a huff of frustration.

            “You _like_ jewelry!”

            “I wanna go back to the palace.”

            “You haven’t _left_ the palace in two whole weeks!”

            “So?”

            “So you needed to get out and stretch your legs!”

            “But I don’t wanna…”

            “At least pretend to be interested!”

            Judal let out a hefty sigh as he turned to the stall and walked towards it. “Fine…whatever you say, Kougyoku.”

            “More enthusiasm!”

            “Take what I give you.”

            Kougyoku puffed out her cheeks childishly as the disinterested magi picked up a necklace and examined it. It was honestly a beautiful necklace, but since the recent blow to his pride, he’d had a slight bit of trouble getting excited over any of his usual hobbies—he’d been too frustrated. The city guards had utterly failed to find the wretch he’d described to them, and even on the occasion where he did his own searches, he had to reluctantly admit defeat. It was as if she’d become a ghost, with no trace of her left in the city. The situation had Judal so irritated that he couldn’t even bring himself to complain about it.

            “Did you wanna buy that one?”

            Judal snapped back to reality and glanced over to Kougyoku before sighing and putting down the necklace. “It’s not my style.”

            “Hmm…well I’m sure we can find something to your liking here!”

            “I don’t want any of ‘em.”

            “How long are you gonna keep moping?” Kougyoku pouted. “You’ve been a complete downer lately.”

            “Fuck off!” Judal spat, “I’m not moping!”

            “You are too!”

            “No I’m not!” the magi insisted before turning heel and stomping away from the stall.

            He could hear Kougyoku let out a frustrated shriek behind him. “You are such a pain sometimes!”

            “Whatever,” he muttered to himself as he turned onto another market street, noting immediately that there was something very off near the end of the road. A crowd had gathered a good distance away, standing stationary around a spot that Judal could’ve sworn had nothing of particular intrigue in it, at least under normal circumstances.

            “Hm? What’s happening over there?” Kougyoku spoke up as she returned to his side.

            “No idea,” Judal replied as he shuffled forward without waiting for her to follow, occasionally shooting a glare at any merchant that dared to look in his direction. As they approached the crowd, a melody trailed out from beyond the cacophony, and once they were a few feet away, Judal stalled. Something about the song seemed eerily familiar.

            “Wow…Judal, can you hear that? It sounds so pretty…”

            The magi turned to Kougyoku in time to watch her scuttle into the crowd, and he let out a short grumble before following her. He weaved in and out of the masses until he found himself at the front of the crowd next to the princess as she watched the mere street performer with complete awe.

            “Isn’t she beautiful?” Kougyoku murmured as she leaned slightly towards him, her eyes not leaving the show for a second. Judal followed her gaze to the woman that had her so captivated, and he found some disobedient part of his brain wanting to agree with her. In truth, she was attractive, her honey colored skin seemed to glow in the daylight, and her ebony hair flowed like silk with the graceful movements of her slender frame.

            Her style of dress was intriguing—obviously foreign, the crimson gown managed both modesty and elegance, with a form fitting floor length skirt and a top that seemed to merely be a long sash of silky fabric wrapped a few times over her chest. She wore a light blue necklace and earrings, coupled with beads of the same color wrapped around her arms like sleeves and a hair clasp holding back her bangs on one side.

            She was almost as beautiful as the haunting melody echoing out of the flute at her lips, or so Judal managed to think before he remembered that he was trying to be unimpressed. What the hell was wrong with him? He’d seen street performers before, and she was nothing special—the dress, the glow and the song were all a simple part of the act. So why did he feel so fascinated?

            _“You know, the best thing about Sound Magic is that after enough practice, some of the simpler spells can be cast without detection.”_

            Magic. Judal growled as it suddenly occurred to him. Black hair. Brown skin. A petite frame and an airy melody that compelled him to abide by her wishes. This bitch was the same one who had humiliated him. Judal’s glare hardened on the woman as the performance came to a close and Kougyoku trotted up to her eagerly.

            “T-That was really beautiful!” the princess stammered nervously as a small blush crept onto her face. “You should perform at the palace sometime!”

            The woman smiled slightly as she collected the money she’d earned and stuffed it into a change purse. “While I appreciate the offer, I’m not certain that my presence would be welcome.”

            “You would definitely be welcome! Right Judal?”

            The magi glared straight into the woman’s eyes as she turned to him, her soft features only broken slightly by the smirk playing at her lips. The pretentious wretch knew he’d recognized her, he could see it. “No, she isn’t welcome,” he hissed.

            “Huh?! Why not?!”

            “We’ve met, previously,” the woman replied nonchalantly without taking her eyes off of Judal. “It was hardly what I’d call a friendly encounter, either.” The blue of the woman’s eyes twinkled mischievously, and Judal let out another low growl—even if his vision had been blurry at the time, there was no mistaking this brat’ eyes. Each iris sparkled as if she’d trapped the night sky beneath a veil of twilight blue; they were so aggravatingly identifiable that the thought of how much time he’d have saved if he’d told the guards about them made his blood boil.

            “Um…Judal…what happened between you two…?” Kougyoku murmured hesitantly after a long pause of silence between them. The magi scowled in response, waiting only a moment more before answering the question.

            “This bitch stole my peach.”

oooOOOooo


	2. With All Due Respect

**With All Due Respect**

            Neela already knew full well that staying in Rakushou had been an idiotic (albeit unavoidable) mistake. She already knew that standing up to and provoking someone above her station was likely one of the most imbecilic things she’d ever had the nerve to do, but when it came to someone taking away her favorite food, she’d rather be a moron than a throw rug. Neela had hoped, slightly, that she would never run into that dreadful man again. Of course, running into him again wouldn’t have been the absolute end of the world, except she’d made a point of pissing him off and she wouldn’t put it past him to rip her tiny body to shreds if he ever saw her again.

            So she’d taken precautions—she quit her temporary work at first notice and started collecting the funds she needed to leave the city by performing. One usually wouldn’t expect drawing attention to oneself to be the best way to avoid the gaze of the authorities, but Neela had long since discovered that most everyone couldn’t recognize her in costume. She’d hoped that the disparity would buy her invisibility, but apparently it wasn’t enough, for he’d found her again.

            When she caught a glimpse of him in the crowd, she almost prayed that he too wouldn’t recognize her—her blood nearly ran cold as they came face to face after the show. No such luck, he’d figured her out. At least unless the crowd dispersed faster than molasses and he managed to somehow lose the royal attached to his arm, he was in no position to do physical harm. That bit was a plus.

            “Um…Judal…what happened between you two…?”

            Neela made a short mental note as to the man’s name, figuring that if she was forced to explain her case later, it might be best not to continue referring to him as “jackass”. Especially since the man’s reply threatened to make her mouth run away with her again.

            “This bitch stole my peach.”

            “If memory serves, you were the thief, and I was the victim,” Neela said as she forced a smile.

            “And she attacked me!”

            “Also quite a stretch of the truth. I merely defended myself,” Neela retorted, placing a hand on her hip and lifting her chin up slightly to give the magi a condescending glare. “And you would’ve walked out unscathed either way. It’s hardly fair to accuse me of assault when you tried to electrocute me first.”

            “Judal!” the young royal he was with gasped.

            “She stole from me!” Judal insisted

            “Well in a manner of speaking, he isn’t wrong. I did steal it back,” Neela noted softly, “but considering that I paid for it in the first place, I was well within my rights to have it. And I was informed later that the high priest doesn’t usually buy peaches at the market in the first place—because he has five entire trees all to himself. Tell me, is there a reason that you couldn’t be bothered to walk home instead of stealing my first meal of the day?”

            “You need to learn some manners, pipsqueak,” the man hissed threateningly.

            “And if your saying that isn’t the very definition of the pot calling the kettle black…”

            “Judal, please, control yourself, we’re surrounded by civilians…” the young royal attempted to reason with the magi as she placed a small hand on his arm.

            “What, so you want me to just forgive her, Kougyoku?” Judal spat as he turned to the girl

            “Well…maybe you just got off on the wrong foot…maybe if you just apologize to—“

            “I have nothing to say sorry for,” Judal and Neela said simultaneously, and in an instant their eyes had fixed back on each other.

            “Nothing to say sorry for? You humiliated me!”

            “You asked for it.”

            “I did not!”

            “You tried to kill me, you definitely asked for it.”

            “You stole from me, I had every right to try to kill you!”

            “How many times do I have to remind you that you stole from me first?”

            “I saw that peach first!”

            “That means absolutely nothing if you didn’t pay for it. And you could have gone home to your personal orchard.”

            Judal growled menacingly at the woman once more before breaking eye contact and turning towards a group of city guards standing nearby. “OI! USELESS WASTES OF SPACE!” he waited a moment as they turned towards him, seeming slightly irked at first but quickly lapsing into fear as they recognized the magi’s livid expression. "Do you see this bitch right here?” Judal jabbed a thumb back at Neela and she did her best not to flinch. “I want you to chain her ass down and drag her to the palace dungeon." The guards hesitated a moment to glance between each other and Neela before Judal let out another forceful howl. “NOW!”

            “Judal, please reconsider!” Kougyoku pleaded again as the guards scampered towards Neela and shackled her, mumbling a few apologies here and there as they did. “Try to be more civil, at least allow her a trial—“

            “She doesn’t deserve one!” Judal spat.

            “Please,” the princess insisted, “Doing otherwise might make citizens think ill of us…Judal!”

            Neela followed the magi with her eyes as he stomped towards her; he grabbed her forcefully by the chin and grinned at his triumph before forcing her head down and ordering the guards to move. He was enjoying this a little too much, though she couldn’t really blame him. Finding the chance to get back at her for humiliating him must have been an enticing fantasy. She would just have to hope that there were more reasonable royals willing to come to her aide.

oooOOOooo

            “What is the meaning of this, Judal?”

            Neela grunted as she found herself forced to her knees before another royal when the soldiers dragging her bowed. She strained to get a look at him, and found him to be an attractive, yet terrifying man, who was dressed head to toe in the country’s best armor and gowns. Judal forced her head down once more before addressing him. “This peasant attacked me. And tried to steal from me.”

            “No one’s going to get the truth out of you, are the—“ Neela let out a short wail of pain as the magi threw her to the ground before she could finish her sentence. “I didn’t realize that the Kou Empire’s high priest was such a chil—“

            “Watch your tongue,” Judal hissed as he used his heel to grind the side of her head into the floor.

            “Stop it, Judal!”

            Neela heard Kougyoku’s voice spring up next to the new royal, causing the magi to lift his foot off her cheek. “You have my gratitude, your Highness,” she rasped as the weight was lifted.

            “Please let her explain her side of the story, Judal,” Kougyoku murmured.

            “Why should I? It’s all lies anyway!”

            “I have it on good authority that I’m not the one lying,” Neela grunted as she attempted to sit up and face the new royal. “With all due respect, your Highness, while your high priest is not telling a total lie, he is also not telling the entire truth. Might I offer a more complete version of our disagreement?” Neela bowed her head slightly at this point. “If it would please you, that is.”

            “…Very well. What is the exact nature of your crime then, if it is not exactly as Judal says?”

            “Well…a few weeks ago, while I was on my way back to my temporary lodgings for a short break between work, I bought a peach at the local market, but before I could eat it, your high priest stole it from me. I stole it back, he tried to kill me for standing up to him, and I put him to sleep with a little magic. I then paid one of the local merchants all of the wages I’d been saving for my trip home to guarantee that he would be looked after and left before he woke up.”

            “So you claim that Judal stole your peach?”

            “Yes. It was my first meal of the day too.”

            “You realize that we have several peach trees on the palace grounds, do you not?”

            “I was informed of this after the incident, yes.”

            “Can you explain why Judal would feel the need to steal your peach when he could simply come home and retrieve one of his own?”

            “That…is something that I’m sure we are equally confounded by.”

            “Judal, how did it happen in your eyes?”

            “Pretty simple, if you ask me. I was walking through the market with a peach I brought from home, and then this bitch snatched it from me, and when I tried to get it back, she attacked me to get away.”

            “She attacked you first?”

            “I just said that.”

            “I don’t recall you suffering any injuries a few weeks ago.”

            “That’s because this bitch is a Sound Magician,” Judal snapped as he jabbed a finger towards her.

            “Water Magician, actually,” Neela corrected him, “but I do utilize my second affinity quite a bit.”

            “You heard her, she said she put me to sleep! Just chain her down in the dungeons already! She’s been abusing her powers!”

            The royal closed his eyes and sighed audibly before looking down at Neela. “I cannot confirm either of your stories as the truth without witnesses. I will summon the merchants to question, but in the meantime, send her to the dungeon, and lock her in a cell away from the other prisoners. Those men haven’t seen a woman in years, and they hardly deserve the pleasure.”

            “Very well, sire,” one of the guards mumbled as he hoisted Neela up by her arms. Neela closed her eyes and drew in a small breath of air as they began to drag her away. She tried to remind herself that there was still hope—the royal had said that he would summon the local merchants, and there was bound to be at least one who had sympathy for her situation. Still didn’t make the screams trailing up from the dungeon entrance any more pleasant. She coughed a bit as the smell of blood and bile overcame her, and one of the guards forcing her down the stairs let out a nervous chuckle.

            “Yeah…it does smell a bit grotesque…just don’t try breathing through your mouth, it only makes it worse.”

            Neela managed a weak nod before they reached the landing, where she was promptly pulled to an empty cell surrounded by stone walls. By the time Neela had been chained up to the wall, she was nearly praying that at least one merchant would be willing to tell the truth, before she lost her sense of sanity.

oooOOOooo


	3. Aggravatingly Persuasive

# Aggravatingly Persuasive

            The sun had risen over the Kou Palace beautifully this morning. For once the chirping birds sounded like music to Judal’s ears, and as he sauntered down the open halls of the palace he nearly felt a skip in his step. Two days had passed since the bitch that had crossed him was sent to the dungeons, and while he hadn’t heard her screams of agony trailing out of the entrance yet, knowing that she was locked in that rancid, disgusting hell pit was enough to make him cheerful.

            “M-Master Judal!”

            “Hn?” The magi turned to the rather timid servant that had called out his name. “What?”

            “P-Prince Kouen wishes to speak with you,” the servant stammered as she bowed her head to him, “He sent me to fetch you.”

            “Geez…don’t hurt yourself, I know the way to his study,” Judal turned heel and strolled past the terrified girl, waving briefly with his departure. “Why don’t you take the morning off or something?”

            “Y-Ye…Yes, sir! Thank you, Master Judal!”

            Judal glanced back in time to see the girl scramble away. He figured that perhaps it was her first day serving the palace and brushed off her nervous demeanor. The magi made his way to Kouen’s study with a cheerful grin plastered across his face, one that slowly dissipated as he passed more and more nervous servants on the way. Just what in the world had gotten into them this morning?

            “Weird…” he mumbled before coming face to face with a very cheerful Kougyoku. For a moment they held each other’s gaze, but then the princess came to recall who she was staring at and let out a frustrated huff. While he noted that the irritation sounded a little more forced than it had been the day before, Judal couldn’t help but let out a short whine. “You’re still mad at me?”

            Kougyoku elected not to answer, and instead walked around the man and down the hall, her brow forcefully furrowed into a look of contempt. For a moment, he frowned at her quick departure, but just as the mood had come, so it went, for he was far too happy to let her foul mood ruin his cheerful disposition. She’d come around eventually. Judal strolled the final stretch to Kouen’s study, humming all the while as he burst through the door cheerfully and addressed the prince.

            “Good morning Kouen! You need something?” Judal sauntered up to the man’s desk, where the prince was lounging with a book in his lap. “Some servant said you wanted to see me.”

            “I did call for you,” Kouen stated bluntly as he closed his book and rose from his chair. “Have a seat.”

            Judal studied him with slight confusion before pulling up one of the arm chairs in the room and plopping down in it. “So…what do ya need?”

            “You are aware that I summoned the local merchants to act as eye witnesses to your disagreement with that street performer, correct?”

            “What for?” Judal snorted and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes as he made himself comfortable. “The bitch is already in prison, so what does it matter?”

            “I just spent the past hour reviewing the claims that I collected. I’m not sure whether or not I’m supposed to be shocked, or disappointed in you.”

            Judal’s eyes flew open and his gaze shot to Kouen, whose stern expression held as he continued.

            “Of the twenty five eye witnesses, all of them recall you attacking that woman first. The fruit vendor confirmed that he sold her his last peach two weeks ago, and that she also paid him generously to make sure you were kept safe until you woke up. Several other vendors even recalled her using money that she’d collected from her performances to pay repair costs on damage caused by the attack you tried to kill her with. If you were of any lower station, Judal, I would have had you shackled and dragged down to the dungeons at the crack of dawn. You stole from and attacked an innocent civilian, vandalized the city, and above all else, you tried to lie to me about it. Tell me, what do you think your punishment should be?”

            “T-That’s not…s-she…she started it!” Judal stammered childishly.

            “Twenty five eye witnesses say otherwise,” Kouen stated as he returned to his desk chair. “Now, as punishment. You are going to personally release that woman from the dungeon—“

            “I have to go _into_ that pig sty? But it reeks down there!”

            “—and escort her to my study, but not before offering your sincerest apologies—“

            “Why should I have to apologize to that bitch?!”

            “—for the foul way that you’ve treated her. You should be thankful that this is all that I am ordering you to do. It is far better than what you deserve at the moment. Now go, and be sure to bring the woman up here before noon today, or I just might change my mind and make your punishment more severe.”

            Judal kept his eyes fixed on Kouen as his face slowly contorted in rage. “Fine!” he shouted in rage as he stomped towards the door. “I’ll go get the bitch!”

oooOOOooo

            It reeked down here, in every sense of the word. It was like a conglomerate of every vomit-worthy scent in existence—mold and mildew, decaying flesh, blood, bile, urine, and shit were all caked on some part of this dungeon, some in multiple places, making the scent ghost in and out to different levels of awful. Judal hated it down here. Sure, he occasionally enjoyed hearing the screams of people who’d upset him, but he never walked down the stairs without express orders—and he would never go down here without shoes. Maybe that was playing into his agitation as the castle guards escorted him to the bitch’s cell. The ceiling was too low to levitate, it smelled like toxic waste, and he absolutely _hated_ shoes.

            He couldn’t even be pleased by the sight of the disheveled street performer chained to the wall, her head hung low and her hands limp enough to suggest that she was sleeping. Judal growled for a moment and hoped that maybe she was already dead. “Wake up!” he shouted as he stomped up to her and kneed her in the stomach. She coughed forcibly upon the impact; the magi’s scowl deepened at the confirmation that she was still living. Her hazy gaze rose to meet his, and after a moment of recognition, the bitch managed a soft chuckle.

            “Oh, don’t look so sour, darling, try to look on the bright side of things. You still got to lock me up for a little bit.”

            “What makes you think that I’m not here just to beat on you?”

            “A prissy man like you? Visiting me in a shit hole like this? That and the fact that you took the time to put shoes on. Those look ridiculous on you, by the way.”

            “Listen, you little bitch, if I were you, I wouldn’t act so high and mighty while I’m still in shackles.”

            “Honey, I might not know you very well, but I think we both know that that’s a load of shit. You would probably be worse, if you ask me. Now since you’re here to release me, do you think you could hurry up and remove these shackles? I think one of your former prisoners jacked off on this wall and I really don’t like sitting in his semen.”

            “Hmm…well, I still have a few hours before noon…maybe I’ll leave you to soak in that for a bit.” Judal smirked and made his way for the door to her cell, only to stop dead in his tracks and she spoke up again.

            “If you let me out now, I might just forget to tell the prince that you hit me in the stomach when you got here.”

            “Why should I care even if you do tell him?”

            “And I’ll tell him that you already apologized for being a little shi—sorry, I mean you already apologized for attacking me.”

            Judal frowned at that. “How did you know about that?”

            “I didn’t. It was a shot in the dark offer. So he did tell you to apologize then, huh? Well, offer’s on the table. You can skip the humiliation of bowing your head to me…or you can let me sit in criminal sex juice for a few more hours. Your choice.”

            Judal scowled and contemplated the choices for a moment. “You are a manipulative little bitch,” he muttered as he stomped back over to her.

            “Takes one to know one,” the woman said with a smile as he released her hands, “And you might want to make a habit of referring to me by name a little more often. As fun as it must be to constantly call me a bitch, it really isn’t winning you points with anyone.”

            “I don’t know your name,” Judal spat as she began to stumble towards the entrance to her cell.

            “It’s Neela,” she responded as she turned back to him, he balance wobbling a little in the process. “My name is Neela.”

oooOOOooo

            “I trust that Judal was respectful to you this morning?”

            Judal let out a short grumble as he found himself standing off to the side behind Neela as she presented her now-disgusting self before Kouen.

            “But of course. Well, as respectful as he could manage. I had no qualms with him, at the least.”

            “Good.” Kouen replied before placing his pen on the desk and rose from his seat. “Then on behalf of the Empire, I sincerely apologize for the way we have treated you, and hope that you have a safe journey home. You are free to go.” The prince’s gaze flicked to Judal, who scowled as he turned away. The magi hated this, but at the least. It seemed to be over.

            “No offense, your Highness, but I think you can do better than that.”

            Judal’s head swerved back to Neela, once again dumbfounded as she found the audacity to smirk at Kouen, of all people.

            “Excuse me?” the prince’s gaze narrowed on her, but her expression held nonetheless.

            “You said that I am free to go, but I implore you to consider that traveling outside of Rakushou requires money. I’m not sure if you thought that I picked a few extra coins off the corpses in your dungeon, but I’m sorry to inform you that there actually weren’t that many bodies, and most of the ones that I saw were naked.”

            “You had money left over from your performances, did you not?”

            “Not that I had enough to get out of here in the first place, but one of your palace guards confiscated my purse on the way into the palace. I know Judal over here has my flute, but unless I’m mistaken, I doubt any of the money I made is still in the palace. That guard looked really happy about the extra cash.”

            Kouen sighed and closed his eyes. “I will arrange for transport—“

            “Honey, you’re getting ahead of yourself. Why don’t we take a few steps back and discuss what we want from each other? Now,” Neela smiled cheerfully and gestured towards the frowning prince, “would I be safe in assuming that you want this entire incident to go away, more or less?” Kouen paused a mere moment before nodding, and the woman’s smirk widened in response. “Now, I can probably make that happen. And you’re right to assume that I would really, really like to go home. But before that, I’d like a long, comfortable bath, a new dress to replace the tattered rags that I’m wearing, and a little bit of money to make myself a new costume. I have what you want, and you have what I want.”

            “I cannot—“

            “I already realize that I am asking a lot from you, and that my silence should come cheaper,” Neela interjected, “Which is why I’d like to add to what I can offer.”

            “And what would that be?” Kouen inquired after a short sigh.

            “You are aware that I do street performances, yes?”

            “Kougyoku mentioned it to me briefly,” he replied with a nod, “she claimed that you were quite talented.”

            Judal scoffed at that. “She’s nothing special,” he muttered.

            “Princess Kougyoku seemed rather adamant in inviting me to perform for the royal court,” Neela continued, “I would be happy to oblige—that is, if I am provided with the things I asked for.”

            “How much time would you need to prepare?”

            “For a performance fit for royalty? At least a week, with help.”

            “Very well. You will perform for the palace a week from today, in the meantime, Judal will assist you with anything you may need to prepare.”

            “I’ll _WHAT_?!” Judal shrieked at Kouen, whose response was little more than a glare, as if to say that he deserved it for causing this mess in the first place.

            “If I feel that your show is not worthy of the court, I will send you back to the dungeons. Are we clear?” Kouen inquired, and Neela smiled and bowed her head.

            “Crystal. I will not disappoint.”

            “Very well. Judal, please escort our guest to one of the bedrooms in the north wing.”

            Judal let out a short grumble as Neela walked past him to the exit, his eyes flicked briefly between her and Kouen before slumping and shuffling out of the room after her. He stalled once they were outside the office. He opened his mouth to speak, hesitating only a moment before managing words. “Did you just—“

            “Did I just persuade the first prince of the Kou Empire? Why yes, I believe I did. Now,” Neela placed a grimy hand on her hips and smirked at him. “Would you be so kind as to lead me to my quarters?”

            Judal let out an irritated whine. This was going to be a long week.

oooOOOooo


	4. A Mere Child

# A Mere Child

            Neela had to admit that she never expected spending two days in a dungeon to have such a rewarding pay off. Everything in the Kou Palace beat the luxuries she could normally afford; even the beautiful inns that offered her refuge in years prior paled in comparison to this place. The bathes were clean and warm, the food was the second most delicious that she’d ever tasted, the beds were fluffy and comfortable, and she had more books than she knew what to do with. The only downside was the “servant” that Kouen had temporarily appointed to her.

            “Why aren’t you awake yet?”

            Neela grunted as she felt a much larger body land on her back. She let out a soft groan—much like yesterday, it seemed that Judal had no intention of letting her sleep in. “Remind me to thank Myers for trying to kill me with her training regiment,” she mumbled into her pillow. She wouldn’t normally expect someone as big as Judal (at least, big in comparison to her) to be quite so light.

            “What was that?”

            “Nothing…why are you here?”

            “Because I can be.”

            “Huh. Yeah…nice try, but no…” Neela turned as best she could to roll over beneath the magi’s weight and looked up at him blearily. She squinted a moment, trying to focus on him while he sat cross-legged on top of her with his arms folded over his chest. “Are you…this is just a shot in the dark theory, but are you waking me up because you’re hungry?”

            “No!” Judal nearly shouted at her.

            She raised her eyebrows in response, and he turned his head away from her. “Why are you getting embarrassed if that’s not why you’re here?”

            “…Kouen said I couldn’t have breakfast until you were awake…” he mumbled somewhat incoherently.

            “…Don’t you have five peach trees all to yourself in the courtyard?”

            “He stationed guards around them!”

            “Levitate?”

            Judal glared down at her, and she closed her eyes before letting out a sigh and rapping the back of her hand against his chest as a signal for him to get off her. “Fine…just let me get dressed first…”

            The magi’s glare softened slightly as he hopped off the bed and sauntered towards the door. Neela sighed again before sitting up; she yawned loudly while moving towards the wardrobe. Princess Kougyoku had been kind enough to offer a few dresses to her, but she had respectfully declined in favor of some simple servant garbs. The princess hadn’t quite understood the preference, no matter how many times Neela repeated the words “comfort” and “simplicity”. It took her mentioning a slight disinterest in having Judal dress her for the girl to reach some level of understanding and drop the subject.

            Neela smiled as she recalled the incident and chuckled at the memory of how disgusted Judal had been when she had dared to suggest the very notion. His lack of enthusiasm was all but expected, yet still amusingly animated. Neela patted down her plain skirts and moved to the door after Judal, who was leaning on the wall to the right of her bed chambers.

            “Took you long enough,” he muttered as she walked past him.

            “And I suppose you could be faster?” she retorted with a smirk.

            “Obviously.”

            “Really? You could change out of your night clothes, put on your pants, shirt, and jewelry, then do your own hair perfectly in under five minutes? All by yourself? I find that hard to believe.”

            “I definitely could!”

            “Whatever you say, Ju.”

            “Don’t address me so casually!”

            Neela shrugged as she entered descended the stairs and walked towards the kitchen.

            “Hey pipsqueak, the dining hall is in the other direction, where are you going?”

            “To the kitchen, obviously. I detest formal dining, don’t you?”

            “Well, yeah, but—but Kouen and Koumei are discussing the plans for our next battle in the dining hall!”

            “Ugh, war plans,” Neela wrinkled her nose, “All the more reason to steer clear.”

            “What, you have something against war?” Judal asked loudly as they turned into the kitchen. “Don’t like blood and gore? Hate destruction? What is it?” The magi hovered over Neela as she scanned the pantry shelves for her morning meal. “What, do you have a stupid bleeding heart?” he teased.

            “Hardly,” she answered absently as she grabbed a small sweet roll from one of the lower shelves. “My distaste for war is based in purely selfish reasons, nothing more. You can go to the dining hall if you really want to, it’s not like I need your help to eat my breakfast.”

            “But Kouen wouldn’t let me in unless you were there!”

            Neela let out a low groan as she finally turned her gaze back to Judal. “Please tell me you’re joking.” The magi shook his head, and she responded by craning her neck in exasperation. “For god’s sake…fine, I’ll make an appearance, but I’m not staying.”

            “Good, I don’t want you to.”

            “And I’m taking three of your peaches.”

            “What?! That’s too many!”

            “Well it’s that or you get to make my bed…maybe give me a massage later…or I could complain to Kouen about your insubordination.”

            Judal growled behind her, and she turned to smirk at him. “I hate you,” he hissed, “So much.”

            “Aw, that’s adorable,” Neela replied, “I’d say the feeling’s mutual but alas, hating you would require effort that is better spent on other things.” She turned on her heels and continued to the dining hall, followed by a very disgruntled Judal. She had spent a limited amount of time with the royal family—she had, of course, met all of them, with the exception of the emperor, who was too sickly to make her acquaintance, and the empress, who was currently away, but her meetings with them were mostly limited to introductions.

            Kouen and Kougyoku were the only ones who had made time for her otherwise, though Kouen usually only wished to discuss business, and Kougyoku spent more time bickering with Judal then actually talking to her. Hakuei and Hakuryuu had seemed quite pleasant, but often kept to themselves as much as she did, and Kouha had been friendly enough, but had made less effort to interact with her after she refused to let him play with her hair. Koumei had seemed as if there was absolutely nothing about her presence that interested him—though, to be fair, it didn’t seem like anything in existence interested him. They were certainly an amusing family, if anything.

            “—send troops to the east, where their defenses are the weakest, and then—“

            “Ahem.” Neela smiled as she entered the dining hall; all eyes were on her and as Koumei’s monotone voice trailed off midsentence. “I do hope I’m not interrupting anything important.”

            “Not at all,” Kouen stated in his normal, overly formal tone. “Did you sleep well?”

            “Quite, though, I do think the morning wake-up call could use some improvement. In any case,” Neela’s smile widened a little as she gestured back towards Judal. “He expressed some interest in your current conversation. I was informed that my presence was needed in order for him to be welcome.”

            “Yes, well…you missed breakfast yesterday, so I felt that he should escort you today.”

            “I appreciate the courtesy, your Highness,” Neela bowed slightly as she spoke, “however if I may, I would much rather dine in solitude. At least in the morning, that is.” A sea of soft murmurs flooded the room as royal and servant alike questioned her audacity to one another. It seemed that most were astounded by her willingness to oppose Kouen in any manner. “This is not to say that I find the meal or the company unpleasant,” she clarified after a few more moments, “It’s more a matter of what I am accustomed to than anything else.”

            “So I see,” Kouen replied as his glare softened only minutely, “very well. I will allow you to eat alone this morning, however, the empress is returning to the palace this evening. As our guest, I expect you to attend every meal following her return. Is this understood?”

            “Yes, your Highness,” Neela said as she bowed again, glancing briefly up at the table before turning back to Judal. “You have the morning off. I won’t be in need of your services until this afternoon.”

            “Thank Solomon,” the magi muttered.

            “I will be in the courtyard after the midday meal. Don’t keep me waiting.”

            “Whatever you say, tiny,” Judal sighed and pushed past her to join in on Kouen and Koumei’s conversation. Neela watched him for a mere moment before departing for the courtyard. She really didn’t care much what Judal did with his time. In truth, she really didn’t even need that much help, but it seemed that Kouen was determined to make Judal pay for all the trouble he caused, even if he had to use her as a means to an end. She’d often found that during the man’s brief inquiries the day before, he’d been attempting, not so subtly, to make sure that she gave enough orders to the magi.

            Neela passed through the entrance to the courtyard and treaded over to one of the trees; she picked a few ripened peaches off the lower limbs and proceeded to pull out the notebook she’d stuffed into her garments on the way out of her chambers. Neela tore off a morsel from her sweet roll and popped it into her mouth before turning to a new page in the journal and pulling out a small pencil. She was grateful to spend the morning without Judal, for she needed to sit down and review what she had learned in the brief time that she’d spent with the royal family the day before.

            If she wanted to build a performance fit for the royal court, she needed to enrapture the whole family in the midst of the same show, and that…could be difficult. Kouen, Hakuei and Hakuryuu all seemed to appreciate tradition and formality, whereas Kouha and Kougyoku seemed more enamored by things that were new and exciting. Judging by his constant lethargy, Koumei would likely be pleased with something calming that he could easily sleep through. She had yet to meet the empress, but if she could manage to impress the siblings, then perhaps she would be pleased as well. Judal…probably wouldn’t be impressed even if she performed to the definition of perfection. Knowing his opinion of her, he’d find something about the show to complain about.

            Neela sighed as she looked over what she’d mapped out so far. Something old, yet new, exciting, and yet still soothing. A performance so impressive that even a temperamental magi who hated every fiber of her being couldn’t find any legitimate complaints. Between the songwriting, practicing, any amount show magic that she was allowed to include, and even the creation of a new costume, Neela was starting to get the impression she wasn’t going to find the chance to sleep for the rest of the week. An unfortunate case, but if it meant keeping out of the dungeon, she’d gladly forego a little rest. It wasn’t as if she slept much to begin with.

            She flipped to the next page of her journal and set to work on a song fit for royalty. Neela had asked for this; she would make it work. It wouldn’t be easy, but she was going to earn back every speck of dignity she’d lost because of Judal. And once it was all over, she would walk free from the palace and pretend it was naught but a dream.

oooOOOooo

            It lay on the other side of the courtyard, and no one had noticed it yet. Its meager growth barely warranted any attention, and yet despite its poor placement, it hadn’t been trampled on. With barely enough sunlight and soil weak from constant rain, many would have thought the new life to be impossible, but that hadn’t stopped the beginnings of a tree from popping out of the pit Judal had discarded a few weeks prior.

oooOOOooo


	5. It's Little More than a Suggestion

# It’s Little More than a Suggestion

            Judal hated this. He hated this with every fiber of his being and then he hated it more. He hated it to the point where whenever he got to get away for a moment he spent more time seething in rage on the roof of the Kou Palace than he did whining about it to someone. Neela. Neela the Water Magician, the foreigner, the vagrant, the uppity whore that was making his life miserable just because she couldn’t just accept her life and run with it. That wasn’t enough, no—she need a fucking bath, she needed new clothes, she needed more money. She needed to stay an extra week to prepare for some stupid musical.

            No one took his side on the issue—Al Tharmen kept telling him she’d be gone by the end of the week, Kouen seemed to believe that she was innocent, Kouha seemed to actually _like_ the bitch, Kougyoku was happy that she was okay, and Hakuei, Hakuryuu and Koumei, well, they just _didn’t care_. He wanted to behead the tiny bitch every time he saw her smug little face, but she never did enough to provoke him—she never pushed beyond the bounds to where he could say that she’d warranted it, in fact, if anything, she’d been generous, but that just made it worse. Every act of impassively delivered kindness felt like a slap to the face, as if she was trying to say that she was above him.

            “Ugh, I hate her!” Judal whined aloud, soliciting a soft sigh from the prince he was intruding on.

            “You don’t say,” Koumei mumbled. “I really couldn’t have guessed that. Thank you for clarifying it to me. Fifty times.”

            “You don’t understand!” the magi continued pathetically, “she’s arrogant, selfish, disrespectful, and—“

            “Just like you?” Koumei interjected, and Judal emitted a hiss in response.

            “That bitch is nothing like me!”

            “Well, this is true. She’s far too eloquent to be the same.”

            Judal glared at the prince menacingly. “Are you insulting me?”

            Koumei gave him little more than a dead stare in response. “Why are you even in here?” the man inquired flatly.

            “Kouen kicked me ooouuut…” Judal whined again as he sprawled out further on the ornate love seat he’d taken over.

            “If you were whining like that, I can understand why.”

            “I just want him to assign a different servant to her! Why won’t he listen to me?!”

            “I doubt that I’m the first to explain this to you, but perhaps it’s because if not for you, the woman would not even be in the palace,” Koumei mumbled as he shuffled through a few scrolls. “Would it kill you to take a little responsibility?”

            “I did nothing wrong!”

            “Theft is a crime.”

            “Well…I guess, but—“

            “Our usual punishment for it is branding, and five years of slavery,” Koumei continued, “but I have heard that some kingdoms simply cut off one of your hands. Consider that your only punishment is serving a week of partial servitude to a master who seems to have very little interest in abusing her new found power.”

            “That’s the worst part though!”

            Koumei raised his eyebrows at that really. “Really?”

            “Why can’t she just give me some sort of obscene order so that I have a good reason to kill her?!”

            “So you’re upset because she’s acting like an adult about the situation she’s in?”

            “It’s like that stupid peasant thinks she’s better than me!”

            “In terms of maturity, she’s definitely better than you, though, in your defense, it’s really not hard to be.” Koumei absently shuffled through a few more scrolls before glancing back at Judal. “Say, didn’t she order you to meet her in the courtyard after the midday meal?”

            “What about it?”

            “Well, I don’t attend our midday meals, usually, but judging by the time, I would say that it ended about thirty minutes ago.”

            “Wait…I missed lunch?!” Judal bolted up on the love seat and graced Koumei with a look of despair. He received a mere exasperated expression from the prince as a knock sprung up from the door, followed by the voice of a woman whose company he was dreading.

            “Prince Koumei? Are you available at all right now?”

            Judal turned to the prince and shook his head vigorously in an attempt to make him decline her entry, but the narcoleptic asshole seemed to have zero intentions of listening. “You may enter,” he called out, and as a result Judal flew past him to hide behind one of the drapes pinned to the wall. The door swung open, and Neela glided across the divide to the desk as if she were a true lady of the court.

            “Good afternoon, your Highness. My apologies for the intrusion.”

            “It’s not really an issue. What did you need?”

            “Well, the help that Prince Kouen appointed to me seems to have disappeared. I was curious as to whether you’ve seen him.”

            “If you’re referring to Judal, he’s hiding behind that curtain over there,” Koumei answered flatly, causing Judal to burst out from behind the thick fabric in pure anger.

            “Traitor!” he bellowed accusingly, but the prince merely shrugged in response.

            “I never said I would help you avoid her,” he muttered as he kept his eyes on his work.

            “My apologies for any trouble he’s caused you, your Highness,” Neela offered a short bow to the man.

            “Nothing more than usual…” Koumei replied, waving off the issue as Neela motioned to Judal to follow her. The magi grumbled and shuffled over to stand beside her.

            “Well I suppose that counts for something,” Neela chuckled. “Good day, Prince Koumei.”

            “Good day,” the prince murmured a barely coherent reply. The woman turned on her heels and made her way for the door, but not before flashing Judal something akin to a warning glare. Judal let out a noise similar to a strangled groan and followed behind her, hoping minutely that she wouldn’t ask him why he hadn’t shown up. He got his wish, to an extent, but instead, upon exiting the room, Neela nearly bolted down the hallway, her stride emanating urgency and frustration.

            “Why couldn’t you just do as you were told?” the woman muttered as Judal actually struggled to keep up with her for a moment.

            “Hey, I didn’t skip out on purpose, you little brat! I missed lunch and everything!”

            “And I suppose that somehow explains why you were hiding in Prince Koumei’s curtains?”

            “I shouldn’t have to explain myself to you at all! I’m a _magi,_ for fuck’s sake! You should just get yourself a new servant if I’m that much trouble!”

            Neela let out a soft sigh before quickening her stride, and Judal stumbled a bit chasing after her before giving up and choosing to levitate instead. She pressed her lips into a thin line, her brow furrowed deep for a moment before relaxing a mere second later. “Just keep up,” she responded curtly, “or we’ll be late.”

oooOOOooo

            “So when were you planning on coming back to earth?”

            Judal glanced lazily down at Neela and rolled over in the air to look at her. “Do I have to?”

            “I might find you more helpful with your feet on the ground, so yes.”

            The magi let out a grumble and lowered himself to stand beside the woman. A quick scan of his surroundings placed them in front of a traveling merchant’s tent. He likely hadn’t noticed it earlier because he’d been concentrating—with extreme difficulty—on not losing his temper with Neela. He’d attempted, near the beginning of their walk, to provoke her, but his taunting and teasing was met with silence, an occasional solemn remark, or a mere shrug. She never rose to the occasion—he’d watch as fleeting moments of irritation seeped into her expression, and he’d even attempted to call her out on it, but the emotion vanished as quickly as it appeared. Eventually he’d simply given up and avoided talking to her or even acknowledging that he was still following her.

            “Why are we even here?” Judal asked bluntly as he looked over the goods set out before the tent, noting the presence of fabric, weapons, and jewelry on the stands as Neela beckoned him to join her inside.

            “Well I do need something to wear for my performance, do I not?”

            “Why don’t you simply borrow some royal gowns or something? Isn’t that fancy enough?” the magi shuffled through some of the necklaces on display vaguely while he watched Neela study some of the fabric beside him.

            “It is rather extravagant, that much is true…but it’s hardly suited for a theatrical performance. And besides, I do believe that some in the royal court might react adversely to a commoner with the audacity to treat a royal gown as a costume.”

            “You don’t seem to mind having the ‘audacity’ to do other things.”

            “Let's not compare apples to oranges, shall we?” Neela smiled politely at Judal before a stout man with a cheerful disposition toddled toward them.

            “Neela! How lovely it is to find you in good health!”

            “Good afternoon, Marcus,” the woman replied while curtsying slightly, “I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long.”

            “Nonsense! I’m pleased enough that you’re still in one piece! Bell told me about your letter, it seemed like dreadful business. I’ve heard a lot of rumors about that high priest you mentioned, he’s a real brute, you know, and so corrupt!”

            Judal flashed a glare at the man and began to step towards him, but Neela placed a hand on his abdomen to stop him.

            “I’ll admit that I’ve had far more pleasant encounters, but he certainly wasn’t the most aggravating. He’s actually not too awful once you adjust to him. But that’s enough about that. Where is Bell, if you don’t mind my asking?”

            “Ah, I asked her to stay in the back today. It seems that the customers here are a little too uncomfortable around her. It’s a shame too, she’s really such a nice girl.”

            “So I see,” Neela smiled again before glancing around the shop. “Well, I believe my friend and I would like a more extensive look at your wares before we decide on anything, if that’s alright with you.”

            “Of course, my dear! Take as much time as you need!”

            The man hobbled away, and as soon as he was out of earshot, Judal let out a soft growl. “That ugly pig better watch his mouth.”

            “Does it really surprise you that people would speak ill of you behind your back?” she replied with a smirk as she moved towards the opposite side of the tent.

            “That wasn’t behind my back, I was standing right behind you.”

            “Marcus is a middle class citizen of Reim that only began travelling a few years ago. Just because he knows who you are, doesn’t mean he knows what you look like.”

            “He still ran his mouth.”

            “For someone who never stops running his mouth, you seem quite opposed to anyone else exhibiting that behavior.”

            “You trying to pick a fight, pipsqueak?”

            “Hardly, it’s merely a statement of fact. What you choose to say at any given moment really isn’t my business.”

            Judal watched Neela in silence for a while as she continued looking through stack of fabrics. As much as he hated to admit it, the woman was far less aggravating than he’d initially thought. He still despised her company to high hell, continuing to be angry at her was starting to make him tired. If anything, her behavior simply confused him. It baffled him that someone with no station, no title, and no nationality to even speak of would hold themselves with such a strong air of confidence.

            It wasn’t as if he hadn’t encountered people as self-assured as her…rather the manner in which she held herself seemed completely different from the passionate, clearly driven people he’d met before her. He could never tell what Neela was thinking, he had no idea what she was after, and that was starting to spark his curiosity. Neela glanced briefly towards him and he averted his eyes, grumbling a bit before watching her stall at an incandescent, dark blue green fabric. She smiled lightly as she pulled the roll out of the pile and headed towards the jewelry display that Marcus was stationed in front of.

            “How much for this?” she inquired, and the stout man chortled in response.

            “You have a good eye as always, Neela. That fabric is one of my best finds, you know, it was woven on one of the islands south of Reim, by a little independent textile maker with beautiful craftsmanship, truly a masterful worke—“

            “I’m certain that they were very talented, Marcus, however as much as I would love to entertain your story, I am sadly in a bit of a rush. How much for the roll?”

            “Ah, yes…sorry, my dear. It’s three hundred Huang notes for the roll.”

            Judal let out a soft grunt and turned towards the door. Marcus was annoying, this entire conversation was boring, and he didn’t have the energy to care about this exchange. That is, he didn’t care until Neela spoke up once more.

            “Hmm…three hundred Huang notes? I will admit that it is exquisite work, but I doubt it warrants a price that high. I’ll give you one hundred for the roll.”

            Judal turned back a little, his curiosity piqued somewhat as he observed Marcus’s dumbfounded expression.

            “One hundre—that’s hand woven silk that you’re holding!”

            “Marcus, silk is really not such an uncommon find in the Kou Empire.”

            “It was expertly embroidered!”

            “By an independent and unknown textile maker south of Reim…that’s hardly a distinguished source within the borders of Rakushou.”

            “It’s one of a kind!”

            “It’s also three shades away from the color they use on the commoner’s robes. No dignitary here would be caught dead in this color, let alone pay three hundred Huang for it. And I have a limited budget, at best. One hundred.”

            Marcus let out a soft growl. “Two hundred!”

            “One hundred and fifty,” Neela rebutted immediately, “If, of course, you include the set of silver jewelry on the top shelf to your left.” Neela smiled as she stared down Marcus, and he slowly withered and gave into her demand.

            “You always drive a hard bargain, Neela…”

            “But you know I never pay you less than you can afford,” she noted smartly as her smile widened into an impish grin.

            “…Very well, one hundred and fifty for the fabric and the jewelry…” Marcus turned towards the jewelry that Neela had pointed out to him and removed it from his perch. “I suppose that also includes the case for this piece?”

            “But of course,” Neela replied as the merchant placed the pieces in a ordinary wooden box and held it out to her. She smiled and pulled the payment for her purchase out of her robes, passing it gently to Marcus after retrieving the box from his arms. She twirled on her heels and held the goods out to Judal, who graced her with a look of confusion in response. “If you would please.”

            “Please what?”

            “Carry these,” she clarified as she glanced between him and the goods. He wrinkled his nose in contempt.

            “Why should I?”

            “What does the word ‘servant’ mean to you, exactly? Because I was under the impression that when Prince Kouen told you to help me as I needed you, you were to act as requested.”

            “Why can’t you carry it yourself?!”

            “Why would I ask you to come, only to have you contribute nothing to the visit? If you would please,” Neela pushed the items up against Judal’s chest, and he growled as he snatched them from her, his irritation with the woman returning full force.

            “Fine, you little bitch,” he mumbled as he turned for the tent’s exit.

            “Thank you, Judal. Good day, Marcus. Do give my regards to Bell, would you?”

            “Of course, Neela. Good day.”

            Judal grumbled as they left the tent and lifted off the ground as soon as they were outside, allowing Neela’s purchase to float next to him. She smirked at him as he rose, her arms folded across her chest while she addressed him with a tilt of her head. “Now why make such a big deal about carrying them if you’re just going to use magic anyway?”

            “Because I hate you,” he answered irritably, causing her to let out a soft snort.

            “So you’ve said. Well, luckily for you, that was all I needed of you today, so unless Kouen requires my presence near you like he did yesterday, you are free to do…whatever it is that you do with your time, as soon as we get to the palace.”

            “Can’t wait,” Judal muttered as he rolled over and floated along a slight ways above Neela as she strolled towards the palace. He could admit that she’d found her negotiations with Marcus rather impressive—perhaps unnecessary since the palace treasury could easily provide three hundred Huang, but he supposed that the bitch was still ignorant of that detail. Halfway through their trip, Judal rolled back onto his stomach to study Neela as she continued towards the palace, his anger subsiding only just enough to let him study her with a well-marked frown and a brow furrowed with contemplation.

            His curiosity was getting the better of him. He was starting to see her as less of an annoyance and more of a puzzle. And he supposed that was what pissed him off most.

oooOOOooo


	6. PSA

**ALL FICS PSA**

So…before you all lynch me for faking you out, yes, this is not a story update. This is an update on the state of things, a tell all to let you know where in production stage my stories are and to update you on the state of my life and why it’s taking so long. So. To begin with the latter…for those of you not already aware, I’m a college student, and as of last semester, an upperclassman. Now last semester I had six classes and that was the reasoning behind my packed schedule, this semester I’m back down to five but I’m also working two jobs and I’m prepping for a school trip to California and doing an amount of work to follow a class I’m not in during my free time.

I’ve had about…no time to sit down and write in the past month and a half so nothing is being written right now. In fact, for now it is safe to assume that unless I say otherwise (and even if I say otherwise let’s be honest here) nothing is in production between late August and mid-December, and nothing is in production between mid-January and early May. So that’s the state of my life right now, for those of you that have been asking. As for those of you who have been asking about my fics (mostly about, surprise surprise, Still Dreaming), I’m gonna list the state of each of my fics below here, so if you’re waiting on more than one and your inbox is flooded with emails about this one chapter for all of them (Sorry m8) you only have to check one fic to know the state of all of them. So the list goes as follows:

 

  1. **Still Dreaming:** and after over a year of time to work on it and all the fans asking, the 30 th chapter of Still Dreaming is…! …not started yet. I…I’m really sorry guys. I have the entire thing planned out, it’s gonna be super long, its gonna tie everything up, it will be the last chapter of this fic and…my muse is completely uncooperative. Now I write fast once my inspiration strikes so I will try to work on and get it done for this coming winter break, but I know myself well enough to not make promises.
  2. **In the Arms of a Thief:** So I actually finished of the rough draft of the upcoming chapter a few weeks ago, but life got busy and my keyboard is currently sticking on several keys so transcribing it onto a computer has been a grueling process
  3. **The Worst Timing:** Much like the readers of Still Dreaming I’m sure all of you are either tired of waiting or no longer interested. Unfortunately, much like Still Dreaming, I have not started the next chapter, and honestly I can’t remember where I was going with it. In all likelihood if I can’t remember I might pull this story from my library so as not to immerse any other poor souls in it only to leave them hanging (if you still want access to the story you should be able to download it and if you can’t just pm me)
  4. **And Hope Died with Her:** Well I have the chapter number written! -kicks self- Okay so honestly this one is extremely uncomfortable for me to write and I struggle to make decisions on it. It might be pulled like The Worst Timing
  5. **Team RRBY:** y’all should know that I posted this prematurely, before I was ready to focus the necessary amount of energy on this au. I want to work on this, and the second chapter is started I just…am very busy.
  6. **Grimm:** Like RRBY, the second chapter is started. It’s just not complete.
  7. **Delusions of Grandeur:** So if you’re on AO3 you might have noticed that this is your second update today…sorry, that’s because I kept forgetting to post the most recent chapter. Either way, you’ll be pleased to know that this fic is the most up to date—the last update is recent even on ffn and the next 14 chapters are planned out.
  8. **Frozen Hearts and Stolen Peaches/Neighbors:** I know that between both of these groups there are maybe 20 of you so I’m just combining the section, because it’s pretty much the same message. The next installment is started. Just sit tight
  9. **Spelling Lessons:** …I am so sorry. I’m actually overhauling and restarting this because when I started it, there weren’t that many episodes out for Little Witch Academia and I had six classes that slowly drowned m and kept me from writing. I based most of my decisions on headcanons that now have, for the most part, been disproven, so I’m going back and playing with the plot a little more. For the sake of it, the first chapter will likely remain the same. The second is up in the air.



 

And that’s everything. I hope this clears everything up. I’ll be back as soon as I can.

**Author's Note:**

> Alright nerds, time for the disclaimers. 
> 
> 1.- I do not own Magi or any of its characters, I only own my OCs
> 
> 2.- This fic begins prior to the first Balbadd arc, and will center mostly around the development of a relationship between Judal and Neela. 
> 
> 3.- The plot depicted here will be slightly canon divergent in later chapters, be it in the edits to time passed, actions or outcomes, some things will happen differently.
> 
> 4.- While Neela was initially designed for a different world than the Magi verse, this version of her exists solely within the timeframe of the current Magi plot line. While her base personality, name, and appearance are all the same, she has no knowledge of Blackcastle or any affiliation to it.
> 
> Give kudos, bookmark and/or comment if you enjoyed, and stay tuned for the next update


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